Monday, December 13, 2021

Disney Orders Traditional Sitcom Meet the Mayhems; Remembering Michael Nesmith of The Monkees

Meet the Mayhems

Disney Branded Television has begun production in Los Angeles on Meet the Mayhems, an original live-action comedy series about a family of raucous supervillains who recently ran afoul of the League of Villains and now must somehow beat a path to normalcy in a small Texas town. The series is scheduled to premiere in summer 2022 on Disney Channel and Disney+ platforms around the world. Meet the Mayhems was created by Chris Peterson and Bryan Moore, who are also its executive producers and showrunners. At the center of the story is teenage Havoc, who stands up against the leader of all villains, forcing her entire family to change their identities and relocate to a Texas suburb where she now goes by the name Amy. With the help of her effervescent new neighbor Hartley, she must somehow hide her superpowers and quell her villainous nature in favor of something she's fought against all her life — being normal.

Meet the Mayhems stars Isabella Pappas (Finding Alice) as Amy/Havoc, Lucy Davis (Wonder Woman) as Eva/Surge, James Patrick Stuart (General Hospital) as Vic/Kraniac, Malachi Barton (Disney Channel's Stuck in the Middle) as Colby/Flashform, Reed Horstmann (The Expanding Universe of Ashley Garcia) as Jake/Chaos and newcomer Kayden Muller-Janssen as Hartley. Patricia Belcher (The Week of) recurs as Celia.


Michael Nesmith

Musician, songwriter, actor, and producer Michael Nesmith, who was best known as a member of the pop rock band The Monkees and co-star of the TV series The Monkees, has died. He died from heart failure at his home in Carmel Valley, California, on December 10. Mr. Nesmith was 78.

The Monkees were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider specifically for the sitcom The Monkees. Davy Jones had a long-term contract with Screen Gems to appear in television programs. He was shortlisted for the auditions and identified in advance as a potential star for the series. Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter ran an ad to cast the remainder of the band/cast members for the TV series on September 8-10, 1965. Michael Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork were chosen out of 437 applicants. Nesmith had been working as a musician since early 1963 and had been recording and releasing music under various names, including Michael Blessing and "Mike & John & Bill" and had studied drama in college. In October 1965, Nesmith landed the role as the wool hat-wearing guitar player "Mike" in the show.

The Monkees

The Monkees premiered on NBC on September 12, 1966. The series follows the adventures of four young men (The Monkees) trying to make a name for themselves as a rock 'n roll band. Mike ("Wool Hat") was the smart and serious one who played the guitar. Although the series ran for only two seasons (1966 to 1968) and 58 episodes, it remains hugely popular to this day. They received two Emmy Awards in 1967: Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Comedy (James Frawley). Nesmith wrote and directed the 1997 ABC comedy special Hey, Hey, It's the Monkees. It was the last time all four of the original Monkees appeared together in a new television program.

The Monkees

The band was originally active from 1966 to 1971. They released six albums, four of which went to No. 1 on the Billboard chart. Some of their big hits included: (Theme From) The Monkees; Last Train to Clarksville; I'm a Believer; (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone; A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You; Pleasant Valley Sunday; Daydream Believer; and Valleri. In 1968, they appeared in the feature film Head. They appeared in the 1969 NBC TV special 33 1⁄3 Revolutions per Monkee. The band reunited in 1986 and toured intermittently with different lineups for a number of years.

Nesmith continued his successful songwriting and performing career, first with the seminal country rock group the First National Band, with whom he had a top-40 hit, "Joanne." His songwriting credits include "Different Drum", which became a hit for Linda Ronstadt and the Stone Poneys.

He founded Pacific Arts, a multimedia production and distribution company, in 1974, through which he helped pioneer the music video format. He created one of the first television programs dedicated to music videos, PopClips, which aired on Nickelodeon from 1980 to 1981. In 1981, he wrote and produced Elephant Parts, an one hour long with parody commercials and comedy sketches, and features five full-length music videos. Elephant Parts won the first Grammy in the Music Video category in 1981.

Michael Nesmith in Television Parts

Nesmith created the short-lived 1985 NBC comedy-variety series Michael Nesmith in Television Parts. The show was a mix of music videos (by both himself and others) mixed in with comedy sketches, commercial parodies, and general silliness. Guest appearances included Martin Mull, Whoopi Goldberg, Jay Leno, Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling and Arsenio Hall.

Portlandia

He guest starred as the father of the mayor (Kyle MacLachlan) of Portland, Oregon, in a 2014 episode of Portlandia. Some of his film appearances included Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann (1982), Repo Man (1984), Burglar (1987) and Tapeheads (1988). He was the executive producer for the films Repo Man, Tapeheads, and Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann. He also did the music score for Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann.

Mr. Nesmith was a man of many talents. He was still touring last month with Micky Dolenz, who is sadly now the last surviving member of The Monkees. They deserve to be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. We thank him for the music and entertainment he brought us during his career. He will be greatly missed.

Share your memories on our The Monkees message board. View photos in our galleries.

MeTV aired four episodes of The Monkees as a tribute on December 12. Decades will be doing a two day binge (84 episodes) of The Monkees starting at noon on Saturday, December 18 until Monday, December 20 at 6am.


Sitcoms Airing Tonight

Friday, September 29

The Villains of Valley View - "The Haunted Jukebox" (Disney Channel, 9:00PM ET/PT)
When a haunted jukebox sends Amy and Hartley to an alternate dimension of Valley View, they must figure out how to get home before they are trapped in Monster Town forever.

Bunk'd: Learning the Ropes - "The Glitching Hour" (Disney Channel, 9:30PM ET/PT)
Noah and Megan watch a strange VHS tape that leads them to believe Jake isn't really who he seems; Lou thinks her life is a television show, and Bill and Winnie are just actors.

Complete TV Listings


Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows (Week of September 25)

Friday, September 29

  • Amy Poehler (Duncanville/Parks and Recreation) - Watch Amy on a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live! at 11:35pm on ABC.
  • Lea Michele (The Mayor) - Lea is a guest on a repeat of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon at 11:35pm on NBC.
  • Nathan Lane (Only Murders in the Building/Modern Family/Charlie Lawrence/Encore! Encore!/One of the Boys) - Nathan appears on a repeat of Late Night with Seth Meyers at 12:36am on NBC.
  • Margaret Cho (All-American Girl) and Maria Bamford (Lady Dynamite) - Margaret and Maria are guests on repeats of Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen on CBS between 12:37-1:37am.
  • Patton Oswalt (A.P. Bio/The Goldbergs/The King of Queens) - Patton will be on CBS Mornings sometime between 7-9am.


New on DVD/Blu-ray (June-October)

Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series Family Matters - The Complete Series Step by Step - The Complete Series ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition)

06/13 - Mayberry R.F.D. - The Complete Series
06/13 - Night Court (1984-1992) - The Complete Series
07/18 - South Park - Seasons 21-25 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
07/25 - The Neighborhood - Season Five
07/25 - Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin - Season One
07/25 - Superstore - The Complete Series
08/22 - Back to Life - Season 1 / Season 2
08/29 - Smiling Friends - Season 1 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/05 - Young Sheldon - The Complete Sixth Season
09/12 - Abbott Elementary - The Complete Second Season
09/12 - Rick and Morty - The Complete Seasons 1-6 (Blu-ray) (DVD)
09/26 - Family Matters - The Complete Series
09/26 - Step by Step - The Complete Series
10/10 - The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet - The Complete Season Thirteen / The Complete Season Fourteen
10/17 - ALF - The Complete Series (Deluxe Edition) (Shout! Factory Special Offers)
10/17 - Night Court (2023) - The Complete First Season
More Recent and Upcoming TV DVD Releases / DVD Reviews Archive / SitcomsOnline Digest


Recent SitcomsOnline.com News Blog Posts

09/28 - New Season of Wolf Like Me on Peacock; Max Original Animated Series Debuts October 19
09/27 - Moonlighting Coming to Hulu; Showtime Announces Date for The Curse
09/26 - Rick and Morty Season 7 Trailer; Fox's Krapopolis Debuts Well
09/25 - Laff Fall 2023 Schedule with Last Man Standing and Man with a Plan; Upload Returns October 20
09/24 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 25, 2023)
09/23 - SitcomsOnline Digest: An End on the Horizon for WGA Strike?; Hallmark Ready for Christmas
09/22 - The Santa Clauses Season 2 Launches November 8; CBS Alters Fall Schedule
09/21 - Penn & Teller: Fool Us Gets New Return Date; Netflix's Unicorn Academy Premieres November 2
09/20 - Paramount+ Announces Colin from Accounts; The Really Loud House Gets Halloween Movie
09/19 - The Simpsons Season 34 Streams October 11 on Disney+; Good Burger 2 Set for Holiday Season
09/18 - Hulu's Huluween and Disney+'s Hallowstream Line-Up; Shining Vale Returns October 13 on STARZ
09/17 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 18, 2023)
09/16 - SitcomsOnline Digest: ABC Cancels Wonder Years Reboot; Byron Allen Makes $10 Billion Offer to Buy ABC
09/15 - Antenna TV's Bewitched Halloween Marathon; Rewind TV's Sabrina the Teenage Witch-O-Ween Marathon
09/14 - Dancing with the Stars Season 32 Cast; BUZZR Celebrates 40 Years of Press Your Luck
09/13 - TBS Acquires Modern Family; The Frasier Awards on COZI TV
09/12 - Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen Gets CBS Late Night Run; Unsolved Mysteries: Behind the Legacy Special
09/11 - Matt Rife Gets Netflix Special; Star Trek Day and Kid Cudi Join Forces
09/10 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 11, 2023)
09/09 - SitcomsOnline Digest: Warner Bros. Television Suspends Deals with Top Creators; Fran Drescher Re-Elected President of SAG-AFTRA
09/08 - CBS Announces Hosts of Game Show; New Goosebumps Premieres Friday the 13th This October on Disney+ and Hulu
09/07 - MeTV Presents Svengoolie's Halloween BOOnanza!; The CW Moving Fall Comedies to Thursdays
09/06 - CBS to Air NCIS: Sydney This Fall; Fox Makes Fall Change
09/05 - TBS and TNT September Stunts Include Big Bang Theory Batman Day Marathon; Netflix UK Produced Series Updates
09/04 - TV Marathons on Labor Day 2023 Include Three's Company
09/03 - Sitcom Stars on Talk Shows; This Week in Sitcoms (Week of September 4, 2023)
09/02 - SitcomsOnline Digest: No Third Season for How I Met Your Father; Spectrum Dispute with Disney Could Spell End of Cable
09/01 - September Is Anniversary Month on Hulu; Freeform's 31 Nights of Halloween Returns for Its 25th Anniversary
08/31 - Max's Original Comedy Series Starstruck Season 3 and Our Flag Means Death Season 2 Premiere Dates; AXS TV Announces Fall Programming Lineup
08/30 - The Partridge Family Coming to AXS TV Starting Oct. 2; CBS to Air A Tribute to Bob Barker Special Aug. 31, Marathon of Match Game Episodes to Air Sept. 2 on Game Show Network
08/29 - Once Upon a Time Coming to Hulu; Young Love Launches on Max in September
08/28 - Remembering TV Legend Bob Barker; Wolf Like Me Returns in October on Peacock